In "A Temporary Matter", Jhumpa Lahiri creates an apartment that lives through the past actions and current stagnation of its inhabitants. Whether it's Shoba's "endless sealed pyramids" of now-eaten leftovers or the "lace she once planned to turn into tents," the setting teems with memories of more challenging and hopeful days gone by. The present is more defined by inaction, the lack of apparent action; instead of working, Shukumar reads a novel we know nothing about, and as Shoba works more and more overtime, that money isn't going anywhere that Shukumar can see. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Apartment is overwhelmingly defined by Shoba's actions, not Shukumar's; the way she takes off her purse and shoes, the way she pays her bills, the way she cooks. To that end, he might as well live in his own world. Much of the story comes from her memories and reflections, which provide the knowledge that the house is clearly Shoba's. Accompanying this awareness and stagnation is a reluctance to change, even though the apartment has been set up as a transitory “elsewhere” that even Shoba now treats “as if it were a hotel.” “For some reason,” the narrator says of the room that was supposed to house their child, to nurse a better life, “the room didn't haunt him like it haunted Shoba.” Something changes when the lights go out. A world that seems to float in the timelessness of the past and the future, the light goes out at exactly eight o'clock. Shukumar and Shoba now feel that they can, perhaps must, talk to each other as they never do otherwise, but as a couple they "should." Therefore the nocturnal ritual is rooted in time and social tradition. This combines with the change of scenery to add tension to their nights, as the conditions of the setting create tension even without direct, bombastic conflict..